Combined door brace and locking mechanism



2 SHEETSSHEET 2- A. CAMPBELL. COMBINED DOOR BRACE AND LOCKING MECHANISM.

Patented Nov. 28, 1922.

APPLICATION FlLED SEPT-29, 1921.

293 7 Z A g II 75 I kg A S I ,2 15 J; 1 v 75 g Z A; v

/amd Fatented Nov. 28, 1922.

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CAMPBELL, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO ENTERPRISE RAILWAY EQUIPMENTCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORFOR'ATION 0F ILLINQIS.

. COMBINED-DOOR BEAGE LOCKING BEECHANISM.

Application filed Sieptcmber 29, 1921. Serial No. 504,237.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known thatl, ARGYLE CAMPBELL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented. a certain new and usefulImprovement in Combined Door Brace and Locking- Mechanism, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, referencebeing had to the ac- 1 companying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in combined door brace andlocking mechanism.

In certain types of dump cars, particularly those of the so-calledVii-type, it is customary to employ a cross-brace uniting transversepairs of doors to effect simultaneous movements and also to reinforcethe shaft extending transversely of the car with suitable connectionsbetween said shaft and the brace for opening and closing the doors.

In such cases, it is evident that the brace performs merely its usualfunctions and the shaft merely its usual functions.

The object of my invention is to eliminate the usual shaft and utilizethe crossbrace in lieu thereof in the door locking mechanism proper, orconsidered from the opposite view point, to utilize the operating shaftto perform the functions of the door brace, thereby minimizing theamount of material required and the dead weight of the car and reducingthe cost of manufacture.

Another object-of the invention is to provide, in car construction, .acombined door brace and door operating shaft.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from thedescription and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1' is aside elevational view of a portion of a dump car of the socalled W-typeshowing my improvements in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a sectionalview corresponding substantially to the secs tion line 22 of Fig. 1.Figs. 3 and dare enlarged detail sectional views corresponding with thesection lines 83 and 4.4L, respectively, of Fig. 2. Figs. 5 and 6 areviews similar toFigs. 1 and 2, respectively but illustrating a difierentembodiment of the invention, Fig. 6 corresponding to the secdoors and inaddition, to use an operating tion line 6-45 of Fig. 5. And Fig. 7 is adetail sectional view corresponding to the line 7'7 of Fig. 6. 7

Referring first to'the construction illustrated in 1 to 4:, inclusive,the details of only one hopper of the car are shown. As

shown, said hopper is defined by an inner side hopper sheet 10, outerside hopper sheet 11, a sloping bottom hopper sheet 12 and the dischargeopening is closed by a hopper door 13 pivoted along its upper edge so asto swing about a horizontal axis ere tending transversely of the car asindicated conventionally at 14. As will be understood by those skilledin the art, the hoppers are duplicated on each side of the center sillconstruction of the car so that there will be a pair of transverselyalined doors 13 and this entire structure will be duplicated for eachhalf of the car on opposite sides of the longitudinal center thereof. 1

In carrying out my invention, I mount on the two transversely alineddoors, in the instance shown, a combined brace and operating shaftdesignated generally by the reference A. This combined brace and shaftincludes, as shown. a shaft proper 15 which acts as a compressionmember. a T-har tension member 16 and strut 17. The shaft proper 15 ismade of suitable heavy rod terial and is journaled preferably in twoplaces on each door 13 as by means of the two-part journal bearingbrackets 18 --18 shown in detail in Fig. 3. Said brackets 1818 arepreferably in the form of cast ings adapted to be riveted or bolted tothe main sheet of the door and to allow of the insertion and removal ofthe shaft proper 15. Said journal bearing brackets are preferablylocated near 'the'inner and outer edges of the door as best indicated inFig. 2.

The T-bar 16, where it bridges the space at the center of the carbetween the two doors extends parallelv to the shaft proper 15 as 'webof the T oar is cut away so as to par allel the shaft as indicated at 16and the flanges at the extreme end are riveted to the shai't proper asindicated 1919. Additional braces are wrapped around the shaft properand the ends thereof riveted to the web of the T-bar as indicated at 20.The details of the struts 17 are best indicated in Fig. l, where it willbe noted that the same are formed of metal straps wrapped around theshaft proper 15 and riveted thereto as indicated at 21, the ends of thestrap being; united intermediate the shaft proper and the T-bar, asindicated at 22 and the free ends made to straddle the web of the T-barand riveted thereto as indicated at 23.

lVith the construct-ion described, it is evident that the combined braceand operatii shaft is adapted to pivot or oscillate on the doors aboutan axis parallel to the pivotal axis of the doors, for the purposehereinafter described. It will also be noted that the structuredescribed serves as an efiicient brace for the tree edges of the doorwhen the latter are under load to prevent the same -lrom buckling orbecoming bent and that the two'transversely alined doors 13 of each pairor set, will be operated simultaneously as customary.

To look the doors in closed position, the shatt'proper 15, at each endthereof, is provided with a crank arm consisting of a right-angledextension extending parallel orsubstantially parallel to the outsidehopper sheet 11 and also an out-turned shorter arm 25 parallel to themain portion of the shaft proper 15.

Cooperable with each crank arm end of the-operating shaft proper on eachside oi the car, is a bracket B riveted or otherwise rigidly secured tothe fixed hopper sheets of the car. Each of said brackets B, as shown,preferably consists of a flange 26 parallel and riveted to the sidehopper sheets and a bottom flange 2'? extended under and riveted to thebottom hopper sheet 12. Each bracket is also formed with a laterallyextended web having an inclined portion 28 and a portion 29 extendingparallel to the bottom hopper sheet 1.2. From the outer do-es of theflanges 2829 extends in a ver- 'tical plane upwardly, a side flange 30having" a sloping cam edge 31 on the side adj acent the door, a straightedge 32 on the opposite extending parallel to the door when the latteris in closed position and a rounded top merging with the edges 31. andThe "flange 30 is so located as to lie in the path of the laterallyextended arm 25 of the operating shaft proper so that said arm 25 isadapted to ride up or be cainmed up the edge 31 when the door is movedto closed position and then dropped behind into looking engagement withthe straight edge or shoulder 32. 111 actual practice, the com- 'binedoperating shaft and brace will be so similar in all sub weighted thatthe arms will lie in such position as to engage the cam e es 31 as thedoors are moved to closed pos tion.

To hold the locking mechanism in operaive position when the doors areclosed, I rovide a cam locking dog 31 p "otally attached to suitablebracket applied to a side hopper sheet 11, preferably on one side of thecar only so that the doors may be locked and released without the neceshopper bottom sheet 1.12 and pivoted hopper door 111 this arrangement, Iemploy a channel-shaped cross-brace indicated at A, the latter beingpivotally attached at two places to each door 113 by suitable hingedbutts 118. As viewed in Fig. 7, the crossbrace A is adapted to swing inonly one direction and that is upwardly clockwise, the inner flange -10of the channel limiting, the downward position of the channel A. Aswill. he understood, the channel A is extended transversely of the carso as to insure simultaneous operation of the transverse pair or set ordoors 113. [it each end, the channel fa. has rigidly secured thereto byriveting or other suitable tastening means, a

crank arm similar to the corresponeine; part shown in Figs. 1 and .2.

(in each s the car to the outer side hopper sheets 111 is secured abracket B tantial respects with the brackets except that the positionthereof is reversed so as to have the cam edges 1.31 sloping down Jardls and away from the door and causing the combined operating element andbrace to be swung in the opposite direction in moving to closed positionbehind the straight ed,-:;e A. correspondin cam locking dog 184:cooperates with one 0. 1e arms 125, said locking dog 1% being pivoted toa suitable casting 135 secured to the side hopper sheet, as shown inFig. 5.

l have herein'shown and described what 1 now consider the preferredmanner 01"? carying out the invention, but the same is merelyillustrative and l contemplate all changes and modifications that comewithin the scope of the claims appended hereto.

claim:

1. In a hopper carconstruction, the combination with a pair of hopperseach having and means cooperable with said element to hold the doorstightly in fully closed posi tion.

2. In car construction having a hopper and a pivoted hopper door, thecombination with a brace pivotally attached directly to the dooradjacent its free edge to oscillate about an axis substantially parallelto the free edge of the door; of cooperable means on a fixed part of thecar and on said pivoted brace arranged to lock the door in fully closedposition.

3. In car construction having a hopper,

and a pivoted. hopper door, the combinatio with a brace movably attachedto the door, said brace at one side edge of the door having a crank arm;of a cooperable shouldered bracket secured to a fixed part of the hopperand with which said crank arm is adapted to engage to hold the door inclosed position.

4c. In a hopper car, the combination with a pair of hoppers eachprovided with a pivoted hopper door, the doors being alined; of a braceextending between said doors and pivotally secured to each adjacent thefree edges thereof to oscillate about an axis parallel to the free edgeof the door; and cooperable means on the ends of said brace and on fixedparts of the car arranged to lock said doors in closed position.

5. In a hopper car, the combination with a pair of hoppers each providedwith a piv oted hopper door, said doors being disposed in alinement; ofa brace extending between and pivotally attached to both of said doors;and cooperable means on fixed parts of the car and on the ends of saidbrace for locking said doors in closed position.

6. In a hopper car, the combination with a pair of hoppers, one on eachside of the center sill and each provided with a hopper door pivotallymounted along its upper edge to swing about a horizontal axis extendingtransversely of the car, said doors being in alinement; of a combineddoor locking element and brace movably mounted on said doors adjacenttheir free edges, said brace constituting the sole connection betweenthe doors; and means mounted on a fixed part of the car, cooperable withsaid combined locking element and brace arranged to hold the doors infully closed position.

7. In a hopper car, the combination with a hopper on each side of thecenter sill of the car, each hopper having a hopper door pivotallymounted along its upper edge about a horizontal axis extendingtransversely of the car; of a brace extending between said doors andpivotally mounted thereon adjacent and parallel to their free edges,said brace having crank arms at each end thereof; fixed brackets on eachside of the car cooperable with said crank arms. each bracket having alocking shoulder and a cam edge adapted to guide the crank arm intooperative relation with the locking shoulder; and means for retainingsaid crank arms in locked position.

8. In a dump car having a pivotally mounted discharge door, thecombination with a brace pivotally mounted on the door adjacent andparallel to the free edge thereof, said brace having a crank armincluded therein; of a fixed bracket on the car cooperable with saidcrank arm, said bracket having a locking shoulder and a cam edge adaptedto guide the crank arm into operative relation with the lookingshoulder; and means for retaining said crank arm in locked position.

9. In a dump car having a pivotally mounted discharge door, thecombination with a brace pivotally mounted on the door adjacent the freeedge thereof, said brace extending substantially parallel to the freeedge and having its maximum dimension substantially perpendicular to theplane of the door when the latter is in closed position; of cooperablemeans on a fixed part of the car and on said brace for locking the doorin closed position by means of said brace and when the latter is in itsposition with the maximum dimension thereof substantially perpendicularto the plane of the door.

10. In a hopper car, the combination with a pair of hoppers each havinga pivotally mounted hopper door, the doors being in alinement; of anelement of a door locking mechanism oscillatably mounted on said doorsabout an axis adjacent and substantially parallel to the free edgesthereof, said element acting as a brace for both doors and having itsmaximum transverse dimension substantially perpendicular to the planesof the doors when the latter are in closed position; and meanscooperable with said element to hold the doors in closed position whensaid element is disposed with its maximum transverse dimensionsubstantially perpendicular to the planes of the doors.

11. In a dump car having a pivoted discharge door, the combination witha brace pivotally mounted on the door adjacent and substantiallyparallel to the free edge thereof, said brace having crank arms at theends thereof; of fixed brackets on the car cooperable with said crankarms, each bracket having a locking shoulder and a cam guide edge forthe respective crank arm and means for retaining said crank arms inoperative position with respect to said brackets.

12. In a dump car having a pair of alined pivoted discharge doors, thecombination with a combined brace and door locking ele ment pivotallymounted on said doors and by \vnich the latter are adapted to be movedsimultaneously, said element being of trussed formation, intermediateits ends, said element having also a crank arm included therein; andmeans on a fixed part of the car cooperable With said crank arm forlocking the doors in closed position.

18. In a hopper car, the combination With a pair of hoppers, one on eachside of the center sill and each provided with a hopper

